Wish I was here!

The Santa Elena Reserve, Costa Rica

It’s hotter than hell in Los Angeles, but at least there are no mosquitos. All the same, I really wasn’t made for the heat. It makes me stabby and wilty.

On the other hand, the summer has been more productive than I could ever have hoped. I finished one book and sent it off to the publisher, contracted another one, and have written an astounding 32K on it since June. It’s unprecedented. Sure, I had a great outline to begin with. It’s also a sequel, so characters and setting are already up and running. And yet…. The first draft of Porcelain Dog wrote itself like this. Well, almost like this. I didn’t have an outline and I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. But when it’s right, I guess it’s right. At any rate, the story is sound, and seems happy to follow the outline, at least for now, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Have also written first chapters and outlines for two more books, which, unfortunately, will have to get in line until the current one is done.

Still taking submissions for the mystery anthology. I kind of like this editing gig. I don’t have to deal with the money rubbish or the legal rubbish–I just have to play word games with imaginary people. There are several good stories so far, some needing more work than others, but so far the authors have been good to work with, and I’ve been happy to give their stories that extra bit of attention.

Have also been decluttering, with amazing result. Along the way, discovered my newest obsession, Paperbackswap.com. I had been donating my books to the library and another organization, and had whittled them down to a bookcase full of books that I convinced myself I’d read again. And then I asked myself: (1) Would I be more likely to reread those books, or to read something new if I got it for free? (2) Are these books so rare and so special that I could never find them again if I absolutely had to?

So now I have a whole lot of free shelf space, a clean nightstand, and a passel of unspent book credits at Paperbackswap. Yay!